By Charley Able
Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer

JEFFERSON COUNTY -- Authorities suspect that the complex, lethal plot played out at Columbine High School involved more than the two dead gunmen.

Investigators plan to talk to at least eight to 10 acquaintances of the gunmen.

"I think there is some evidence to suggest that other people were at least aware of what was going on and, as the sheriff (John Stone) indicated earlier, there are an awful lot of devices and this took a lot of time," said Dave Thomas, Jefferson County district attorney.

Thomas said his investigators have the names of those associated with the gunmen.

Jefferson County district attorney investigators were at the crime scene Wednesday. Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter pledged his assistance in the investigation, and newly appointed U.S. Attorney Tom Strickland also has offered assistance.

"We will not spare any expense. This is a community disaster," Thomas said.

"I think we have to pursue vigorously, at least for the time being, the idea that there may have been other people involved at least in the planning and knowledge that this might occur."

To back up his suspicion that more people were involved, Thomas cited the presence of at least 30 explosive devices in and around the school and that a number of people were familiar with gunman Eric Harris' Web site, which advocated violence.

"There were other people who are knowledgeable or seemed to be associated with this group of people," Thomas said. "What we are a little bit unclear about is how all these devices got here and whether other people assisted them."